Verticillaster: Florets occurring in false whorls at nodes on a elongate stalk usually with pedicels and leaf-like bracts. Members of the Lamiaceae only and may appear spike-like. Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Verticillaster: Florets occurring in false whorls at nodes on a elongate stalk usually with pedicels and leaf-like bracts. Members of the Lamiaceae only and may appear spike-like. Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Cyme: the growing tip becomes a floret before more arise from axillary buds. May appreacorymb-like and sometimes head inflorescences are arranged in cymes. Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Raceme: elongated inflorescence with floret pedicels of about equal length that develop along a rachis.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Panicle: a main axis supports several racemes so that the inflorescence appears branched. Term often applied to any highly branched, elongate, inflorescence whose flowering sequence is s unclear, even if cymose.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Catkin: florets unisexual, apetalous, and tightly packed together on a rachis that usually droops downward (found only in some woody dicots, e.g. willow, birch, alder, oak).
Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Spikelet: inflorescence consisting of an axis (rachilla), above two bracts (glumes) and one or more very small florets with perianths reduced paired bracts (the palea and lemma). Spikelets may be arranged in spikes, racemes, or panicles. Found in grasses and sedges. Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Spadix: racemose inflorescence consisting of many tiny florets on an enlarged fleshy axis which is usually partially enclosed by a large bract (the spathe). In the Araceae only.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Spike: inflorescence elongate and raceme-like but with very short or no pedicels.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Head (Asteraceae): florets small, closely packed, lack pedicels, and arise from a flattened axis that is surrounded or subtended by bracts to appear as a large flower. Head inflorescences are commonly arranged in cymes and may be small.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Head: florets small, closely packed, lack pedicels, and arise from a flattened axis that is surrounded or subtended by bracts to appear as a large flower. Mainly in Asteraceae.
Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Umbel: pedicels (and rays if a compound umbel) of about equal length all arising from the apex of the peduncle. Mainly occur in the Apiaceae.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Corymb: florets are formed on lateral stalks of different length, the longest being at the base creating a flat-topped inflorescence.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Cyathium: consists of a simple female floret (one pistil) in the center surrounded by many simple male florets (one stamen each) on bracts. F.Y.I. - Found only in the Euphorbiaceae.Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Practice identifying inflorescence unknownsInflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Use the
Key to the Basic Inflorescence Types
in your lab manual or lecture handouts
to identify the following unknowns .
Unknown #1Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #2Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #3Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #4Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #5Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #6Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #7Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #8Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #9Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #10Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Unknown #11Inflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
Answer KeyInflorescence Types © Kwantlen.ca/Horticulture
1) Catkin
2) Verticillaster
3) Head
4) Corymb
5) Raceme
6) Panicle
7) Spikelet (arranged in a panicle)
8) Cyme
9) Spadix
10) Spike
11) Umbel